After three long days of negotiation within the Hidden Mist Village, Hizashi Hyuga finally reached a final agreement with the Mist Ninja Clans—represented primarily by the Suiton Clan Leader and Hozuki Clan Leader—who had displayed extreme greed.
Based on the authority granted beforehand by Hyuga Soushu, Hizashi Hyuga classified the Mist Ninja Clans as business partners rather than full members of the Coalition of Ninja Clans, citing their unwillingness to bear military obligations. While granting them exclusive rights to certain goods within the Land of Water, he did not integrate these clans into the Coalition itself.
In other words, their relationship was nothing more than that of business partners. Aside from an oral promise of non-aggression, the core of the agreement revolved around detailed clauses concerning civil trade—a matter both sides closely monitored.
To quickly open up the market and secure a larger share, the Hozuki Clan Leader even proposed what sounded like an absurd demand to Hizashi Hyuga:
"Could the Hyuga Clan possibly dispatch ninjas to pose as pirates along various sea routes heading from the ninja continent to the Land of Water?"
When making this request, the Hozuki Clan Leader's expression was completely serious—clearly not joking in the slightest.
"The Hyuga are one of the most respected clans across the entire ninja world! I can't even believe you're suggesting this!"
Hizashi's immediate reaction was to suspect that the Hozuki leader was only testing him. He then confidently assured him, "Besides, according to the agreement, all transactions between our two parties will be conducted on a cash-on-delivery basis. Payment in Gold Kan will only be made after goods arrive at your designated port and the transfer is completed, so there's absolutely no risk involved!"
"What I'm worried about is interference from aristocrats limiting our business scale."
The Suiton Clan Leader interjected, elaborating slightly.
"This..."
Hizashi fell silent for a moment.
So it was really about monopolizing the market!
They were willing to go this far—it could only mean that the Mist Ninja Clans' moral bottom lines were far more flexible than imagined.
"We don't have anyone for that kind of job. This isn't modesty; you'll need to look elsewhere."
After a brief hesitation, Hizashi politely declined the Hozuki Clan's proposal.
"Sigh... The Hyuga are great in every way, but just too conservative!"
The Hozuki Clan Leader sighed helplessly.
Hizashi Hyuga remained speechless.
As for Kaguya leader Tsunashige Kaguya, he hadn't spoken a single word the entire time.
Having completed his secret mission in the Hidden Mist Village, Hizashi had no intention of lingering any longer in this enemy stronghold where he felt uneasy, so he requested permission to leave.
Tsunashige Kaguya volunteered to escort him out, an offer Hizashi readily accepted.
"There's something I'd like to ask… Not sure if it's appropriate," Tsunashige suddenly hesitated while escorting Hizashi to the secret harbor.
"Please speak freely."
Though the Kaguya didn't fit the aristocratic image long upheld by the Hyuga, compared to upstarts like the Hozuki and Suiton, Hizashi much preferred dealing with someone like Tsunashige Kaguya, who appeared blunt but was actually quite perceptive.
"The Kaguya Clan plans to send some of our children to the mainland. Would the Hyuga be willing to act as their guardians?"
Tsunashige Kaguya spoke softly, "The current Bloody Mist Policy of Kirigakure has become increasingly horrifying. This is not beneficial to the upbringing of our Kaguya children."
"I can agree to this matter, but may I ask what Tsunashige Clan Leader intends to do?"
Hizashi Hyuga accepted without hesitation, then added, "However, if your sole intention is to enhance mutual trust through hostages, then such effort would be unnecessary."
"It's merely a precaution."
Tsunashige Kaguya sighed helplessly and countered, "Hizashi, tell me, do you believe today's Kaguya Clan still matches the image recorded by the Hyuga Clan back then?"
"Totally different."
Hizashi replied truthfully.
"Precisely!"
Tsunashige Kaguya nodded firmly, "Nowadays, the Kaguya have fallen into mindless battle machines. If these new generations of children grow up in the same way, our entire clan will be doomed!"
"Perhaps there's something wrong with the land or water of the Land of Water?"
At a loss for words, Hizashi could only mumble in vague agreement.
"Heh!"
Tsunashige Kaguya sneered coldly and voiced a conspiracy-laden suspicion, "Perhaps the unseen hand behind all this is none other than the Third himself."
Going by the rule of 'obey now, understand later,' Hizashi assured Tsunashige Kaguya that the Kaguya descendants sent to the Ninja World would receive proper care. In turn, Tsunashige repeatedly emphasized the millennium-old blood alliance between their two clans, promising unwavering support whenever the Hyuga Clan required assistance.
So, when Hizashi boarded the ship bound for the Ninja World, twelve carefully chosen Kaguya descendants came along with him.
"Mizukage-sama, the secret envoy has already left the Land of Water aboard the ship."
Just one hour after Hizashi boarded, the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure also received a report from his Anbu agents.
"Hm..."
Concealed within darkness, the Third Mizukage's face remained blurred, his body rigid like a decayed log weathered by time. His voice was low and heavy with an ageless fatigue — nothing like the fiery leader the shinobi of Kirigakure once remembered.
Even so, the reporting Anbu shinobi dared not loosen even slightly; he maintained a kneeling posture on one knee, silently awaiting further orders from the supreme leader.
Kirigakure had never lacked daring ninja known for brutality.
Especially among certain ambitious individuals who'd recently met the suddenly transformed Third Mizukage—the once-suppressed ambition now spread like wildfire.
Yet all these power-hungry challengers were utterly eliminated without exception, becoming meals for the Corpse Crows of Kirigakure's Body Disposal Squad.
Even among the Mizukage's personal Anbu, a single misstep meant instant execution.
Therefore, on the surface, the Third Mizukage's rule appeared as unshakable as a fortress.
Although the Mist Ninja Clan had no open intention to rebel, they certainly weren't lacking in courage when it came to secretly undermining authority. Inviting representatives from the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation to visit the Hidden Mist Village headquarters was the best proof of this.
In the eyes of the Mist Anbu ninjas, the Third Mizukage, who was currently reading through the complete conversation records between the three great ninja clans and Hizashi Hyuga with calm composure, must have been contemplating how to strike these disobedient clans with lightning force, teaching them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.
"Call Yagura back."
The Third Mizukage gently placed the documents on the table. His raspy voice echoed within the Mizukage's office: "Also, conscript three thousand ninja soldiers from among the ninja clans and prepare them for the Eastward Campaign."
"Huh?"
The Mist Anbu was momentarily taken aback, but quickly regained his senses and hurriedly replied: "As you command!"
With that, he vanished like someone whose pants were on fire.
Although the Third Mizukage didn't immediately launch punitive measures against the three great ninja clans as the Mist Anbu had imagined, to the Mist Anbu, perhaps the Mizukage was simply employing a stalling tactic.
As for this so-called Eastward Campaign, it naturally meant yet another round of harassment and raiding against the Land of Lightning across the sea.
And this move might also serve as a display of the Third Mizukage's iron fist.
The Mizukage's office returned to a deathly silence so profound that even a pin drop could be heard.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a hunched figure leaning on a cane slowly emerged from the shadows of a corner, slowly shuffling toward the Third Mizukage's desk to pick up the conversation record for careful inspection.
The seated Third Mizukage, who had been sitting there, somehow now looked hollow-eyed and slightly drooling, with the appearance of someone so senile that even after recovering from illness, drool would still dribble down his chin.
"The Hyuga Clan actually produced someone capable of this? Truly strange!"
An aged and frail voice drifted from the lips of this dying elder, creating an eerie sensation in the silent Mizukage's office, as if Death himself was whispering in one's ear.
"Lord Madara, are you going to handle this personally?"
A bizarre figure covered entirely in white crawled out from the dark corner, saying with a grin: "If possible, after defeating this cataract-suffering ninja, would you grant me his eyes as a collector's item?"
"Go back!"
The voice of the dying old man wasn't loud, yet filled with undeniable authority: "How many times have I told you! You must not appear under sunlight without permission!"
"I figured there wasn't any sunlight here either,"
The pale freak shrugged his neck slightly, muttering something under his breath, though his body obediently followed Lord Madara's orders and withdrew into the darkness.
"Truly strange."
Lord Madara stood in front of the desk, lost in thought for quite some time. He went over the transcript again and again. Cross-referencing this meeting transcript with the intelligence previously gathered by his White Zetsu subordinates, Lord Madara couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
A mere [Byakugan] user from the Hyuga clan wouldn't even warrant attention from the mighty Lord Madara, who once crushed an entire generation.
In fact, aside from the Ninja God himself, few others could truly occupy space in Lord Madara's heart anymore.
"Even with all your clever schemes, in the face of this unstoppable tide of history, you're no more than a tiny flea—crushed with a mere flick of the finger!"
Letting out a deep sigh, Lord Madara rested his hand over his chest and muttered, "A life with no equal... truly is a lonely one."
"Lord Madara, with your current age and strength, you might actually lose to that Byakugan brat!"
Suddenly, from the dark corner, White Zetsu popped his head out with a grin, adding insult to injury.
"Noisy!"
Lord Madara coldly snorted, snapping his finger. A red beam shot out, directly decapitating this indiscreet White Zetsu!
"Dispose of the remains and resume surveillance! Stay put unless necessary, and absolutely no peeking at ninja doing their business!"
After speaking, Lord Madara's figure slowly dissipated into mist, vanishing without a trace.
On the beheaded White Zetsu's body, numerous pus-like swellings gradually bulged out, then suddenly exploded with a loud 'bang,' from which five distinct White Zetsus leaped forth.
"Finally our turn has come!"
"Who knows when we'll end up killed by Lord Madara too..."
"Why won't Lord Madara let us watch ninja do their business?"
"Well, we can go watch others instead!"
"Huh, you're cleverer than a typical White Zetsu!"
"Bottoms up!"
These five newly born White Zetsus happily teased each other for a bit, then pounced on the ragged, headless White Zetsu like famished ghosts, feasting voraciously.
At Mount Myoboku in the remote wilderness far away.
Since the Ninja Clan set out to guard the Four Directions (Shikata), Jiraiya has rarely been seen in public. Now led by a bipedal ninja toad, he finally arrived before the legendary palace of the Great Toad Sage.
"Jiraiya-sama, please wait a moment while I report your arrival to the Great Sage."
The guiding ninja toad stood before the palace door, apologetically saying to Jiraiya, "You see, sometimes the Great Sage enters visions of the distant future, so I can't be certain whether he's receiving guests right now."
"It's fine; thank you for the trouble."
Jiraiya nodded agreeably.
The guiding ninja toad also bowed courteously before pushing open the side door to enter and request permission.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
Just then, an aged voice came from behind Jiraiya.
"Senior Fukasaku!"
Immediately identifying the voice as belonging to the toad, Jiraiya turned around and bowed respectfully toward the human-shaped ninja toad no taller than half his height. "According to the messenger toad, the Great Sage summoned me, so I came over promptly."
"Tsk, tsk, probably old fart wants to chat about those mystical matters again!"
Fukasaku made a scornful face, clearly unimpressed: "Who knows if he's just getting too old—he's been going on and on about vague nonsense lately; even messed up last time's bug breeding prediction almost caused famine across Mount Myoboku!"
"Ahem… heh…"
Jiraiya smiled somewhat awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
Regardless of anything, he could never show disrespect towards Senior Fukasaku who taught him Sage Art. Furthermore, the Great Toad Sage was none other than the revered sovereign of the Holy Place Mount Myoboku, a figure whose status transcended mortal comprehension. Therefore, regarding these two frogs' disagreement, Jiraiya wisely chose not to interfere.
"I bet that old codger's still taking a nap!"
After peeking into the sleeping quarters, Senior Fukasaku said, "Maybe he just got muddled during sleep and muttered something incoherent, which caused the toad folk to take it seriously and send for you. Anyway, since it's getting late, why don't you come to my place for a meal first?"
"No, no, no!"
The moment those words were spoken, Jiraiya shook his head like a rattled drum.
The so-called 'grand feast' of Mount Myoboku was made up of all sorts of creepy-crawly insects. While these were delicacies to the toad folk, for Jiraiya—who was human—they were about as appetizing as eating fermented bean paste with pickled fish guts!
"Oh come on, you're too polite!"
Elder Fukasaku muttered without pressing further: "Besides, the old sage sleeps completely differently from normal frogs. Sometimes he might sleep for months at a time. You can't stay here forever waiting for him!"
"That's fine. Konoha doesn't really need me anyway."
Jiraiya still wore his usual bright smile, but sadness unintentionally showed through his eyes.
It wasn't just the Ruling Four Ninja Clans' actions within the Central-Southern Border Forces. Nor was it only the compromises made after Sakumo Hatake took command of the Jonin Unit. Even worse was the heavy taxation enforced by Konoha's outer ninja clans. All of this made Jiraiya deeply realize how much Konoha had changed from the one he remembered—as if the ideals he'd clung to for so long were nothing more than a well-known delusion everyone else already saw through.
Sigh...
Elder Fukasaku found himself speechless.
Thanks to the intelligence gathered by countless spy frogs, Elder Fukasaku—who lived secluded atop Mount Myoboku—possessed an insight into the ever-changing ninja world rivaling even Jiraiya's firsthand experience. Therefore, he profoundly understood how much weight and discomfort this cheerful yet slightly shy young man carried inside at this moment.
"Huh!"
A creaking door sound from within the sleeping chambers startled both the human and frog out of their thoughts.
"Senior Fukasaku, Lord Jiraiya," announced the escort ninja-frog respectfully upon entering the hall, "the Great Sage wishes to see you both."
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